The present invention pertains generally to a water heater structure heated by solar energy.
The prior art discloses several arrangements wherein a solar panel is in fluid communication with a storage tank. The cost of manufacture of such known arrangements is contributed to by the complexity of communicating plumbing between the panel and tank. Such plumbing desirably permits water heated by the solar panel to pass to the tank by reason of heat siphoning. While heat siphoning is shown to be a recognized feature of several solar water heaters, the same is only accomplished in heaters of prohibitive cost.
The general combination of a water storage tank and solar panel is found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,311,579; 2,553,073; 4,083,490; 4,084,578; 4,146,087; 4,165,735 and 4,166,449. Solar radiant heated storage tanks are not found in the known art. A further drawback to known combinations of solar panels and storage tanks is that of excessive weight. Roof installation of solar water heaters typically requires reinforcement of the roof structure to support the added weight. Such reinforcement efforts are, of course, directly related to the weight of the installed water heater, hence it is a desirable objective to minimize water heater weight.